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This is the time of year when most paddlers in the northern U.S. transition to another sport -- often cross country skiing -- but some diehards paddle when they can find open water. It can be a dangerous activity and all paddling organizations have tips for cold weather paddling. Here's what Tom Warner, an experience marathon canoe racer, recently said on the PaddlersConnection email group:
Be aware that the cold water and cold air temperatures (not to mention wind chill) greatly reduce the survival time in the water or even out of the water after a dump. Please follow these precautions:
1. take a dry bag...not a plastic garbage bag... but a real dry bag with folding and sealed opening..have a complete set of clothes..socks, gloves and ski hat. Strip down and replace all wet clothes.
2. Do not paddle alone or too close to another boat... if you both go over...there's not one to help.
3. Do not wander far from shore...or from a path to your car. If you must paddle in the winter in NE, do loops around a safe retreat.
4. Forget the boat and paddles..get to shore. Let others get your boat and gear.
If you look at the few boating deaths in canoeing, they are all due to people not getting immediately out of the water upon flipping.
The first thing you need to know about cold water paddling clothing is this: NO COTTON. Cotton clothing has no place in outdoor cold weather activities: it retains absolutely no insulating qualities whatsoever when wet and if it becomes so, will actually serve to disperse your body heat outward away from your body. Remember, just because it is cold does not mean you won’t work up a sweat during active boating. You don’t have to fall in to get wet.
Instead, wear layers of synthetic materials. Some examples of these are polypropylene, pile, and fleece. Layers help trap heat and fend off water. Remember "wick, warmth, and weather" as you arrange your layers light wicking fabrics first, then warm insulating sweaters or fleeces, and finally an waterproof outer layer to protect you from the elements. Synthetic materials retain a large percentage of their insulating qualities even when soaked. And if they become so, you can actually whip them around over your head and shake the water out of them. Synthetic material also “wicks” moisture away from your skin.
Here’s what Peter Heed recommends in Canoe Racing:
"A good bet for most paddlers in cold weather is to layer with polypropylene and wool. (Wool retains a large proportion of its insulating value after getting wet.) Wool hiking pants and a wool hiking shirt over polypro provide you with a small but significant margin of safety after taking a dunk in cold water. This clothing also enables you to retain some heat once on shore. Often in a training run in early spring, you’ll start shedding your hat, gloves, and outerwear as you heat up. Make sure that you have some sort of dry bag with you so that you can stow the gear and have it ready as soon as you finish the session. Gloves are needed in cold weather but since you’re going to get your hands wet, many fine skiing and hiking gloves are useless. One of the best solutions is a pair of thin wool gloves — they will tend to stay warm even when they are wet. In real winter-type weather, I take a complete change of clothes — wool pants and shirt, gloves, and hat — and put them in a watertight tote bag which I lock on a thwart. I leave the bag in the van so that it’s ready the next trip. It’s saved me several times — I get to the bank, strip and get on the dry clothes fast. When it was 35°, it felt great! Besides, you may give some poor startled onlooker a good thrill!"
There are a couple of numbers that can provide some guidance: 100 and 125. If the combination of the water temperature and the air temperature is greater that one of these, depending on what your are wearing for clothes. If you are dressed in non cotton; in other words you are wearing no cotton including your underwear, you may use the 100 rule. If you are wearing any cotton at all you need to adhere to the 125 rule.
What happens in cold water? Cold water removes heat from the body 25 times faster than cold air. About 50% of that heat loss occurs through the head. Physical activity such as swimming, or other struggling in the water increases heat loss. Survival time can be reduced to minutes. Strong swimmers have died before swimming 100 yards in cold water. In water under 40 degrees F, victims have died before swimming 100 feet.
Five Tips For Winter Paddling
Always wear your PFD.
Cold weather paddling can be dangerous, particularly for a novice. Stay no more than 20-25 feet from shore when paddling in early season. Go out with a group. There’s safety in numbers.
Let someone know where you are going (that doesn’t mean “Hey dear, I’m going paddling.”)
Dress for the water temperature (No one ever goes out boating saying “I’m going to tip over today”)
Remember, there are only two types of paddlers -- those who have swum and those who will swim!
The connection between paddling and our heritage is striking. All of us who race canoes and kayaks have the great fortune of spending significant time on New England's beautiful rivers and lakes. Back and forth we go, training, racing, and getting a perspective on the world that few enjoy. (a guest post by Peter Heed, author of Canoe Racing)
What is easy to miss is the fact that our sport literally allows us to paddle through history. So much of New England's early heritage is inextricably linked to the rivers on which we train and race. Nearly everywhere you paddle in New England, there are compelling true life stories of real people, courage, violence, determination, and redemption along the the riverbanks. The Connecticut River valley is particularly rich in this heritage, as it served as the major "superhighway" for Native Americans and early settlers alike - usually by canoe, bateau, or flat bottomed boat! Fascinating stories are everywhere - along the riverbanks, on the water, and sometimes in areas now submerged by impoundments behind the dams.
Having just a little sense of this vibrant history can give you a whole new level of appreciation while you paddle, train , and race on the rivers we all love so much. With that in mind I have shared some of these great stories with you - of real people who lived and died along our rivers. This is one of them.
Canoe Racing has been a staple of nearly every canoe racer for the last 12 years. It is now revised with updated photos and advice. You can now buy it as a pdf download for $9.95.
This book is packed with advice on technique, equipment, and racing tactics, Canoe Racing is the "bible" of marathon and downriver canoe racing. Both newcomers and experts will enjoy this thorough guide. Illustrated with action shots from across North America, it is designed for runners, cyclists, and skiers looking for a new sport; for recreational canoeists who may want to try a new sport; and for canoe racers who want to learn more about the subtleties of racing.
Review "You'll enjoy the clear, enthusiastic writing and expert advice. This is an inexhaustible classic." -- Canoe News
Have you got - or are you getting - a Kindle? We have some of our titles available as eBooks through Amazon.com. There's a money-back guarantee so take a look. We'll be putting some of our vintage cycling titles up soon.
Peter Heed, a veteran canoe racer and author of Canoe Racing, loves the wild and crazy Rat Race which is held every spring in Athol, MA. The bedlam, camaraderie, and civic support make it a perfect start to the canoe racing season in New England. (For an interesting canoeing post by Heed, click here.)
The race last weekend attracted hundreds of paddlers. One of the participants, Dan Pelletier, has put together a video (which is a little long if you're not into canoe racing) which captures the flavor of this popular event.
a guest post by Peter Heed, author of Canoe Racing
"All of us who race canoes and kayaks for fun have the great fortune of spending significant time on New England's beautiful rivers and lakes. Back and forth we go, training, getting fit, and getting a perspective on the world that few enjoy. What many miss is the fact that our sport literally lets us paddle through history. If you are aware of what happened, you can almost sense the presence of people from important events of the past - which occurred right where you are paddling! And you don't have to believe in ghosts to appreciate the river's history!
So much of New England's early history involved the rivers we train and race on. It was along the rivers that the original Native Americans lived and fished, and it was by these same rivers that the early explorers and settlers came. Unfortunately, clashes were inevitable, and the result was often bloody violence and real life drama focused along the rivers we now take for granted.
Nearly everywhere you paddle in New England, there are compelling true stories of real people, courage, violence, determination, and redemption along the riverbanks. The Connecticut River Valley is particularly rich in this heritage, as it served as the major "superhighway" for Native Americans and early settlers alike - usually by canoe or flat bottomed boat! Nearly every island, every bend in the river, every rapid (now mostly hidden by dams) comes with a fascinating story attached.
Having just a little sense of history can give you a whole new level of appreciation while you paddle, train, and race on the rivers we love so much. I have always enjoyed learning about these true life stories of real people who lived and died along our rivers, and I thought that some of you might be interested, too.
Last fall, a number of canoe racers were at the Potato Race on the Conn. River - the last race of the season. Not far upstream, is the section of the river near the Pachaug boat launch on the northern side of Northfield, Mass. Many paddlers train in this beautiful stretch, and Nick Lyesiuk used to run a race from there in which the course took racers upstream, around an island, and back. That island - right across the river from where the Ashuelot enters the Conn. River - is called Pomeroy's Island.
This quiet island today has great upstream eddies and shallows to challenge canoe and kayak racers going by, but years ago it was the location of a canoe event of another sort - a bloody, running gun battle involving canoes, a dramatic rescue of children, and the death of three men. Here is the story:
It appeared to be a calm and quiet early evening at the North Meadow Farm along the Conn. River in Hatfield, Mass. (Just upstream from Elwell, where the Potato Race starts). The weather was unusually hot that July day in 1698. There was still much unrest and distrust between the early farmers along the river and the Native Americans, who once freely roamed and enjoyed the river valley without interference from white settlers. Nathaniel Dickinson, and several other farmers with young boys, were finishing up there chores of hilling corn. Nobody was overtly concerned, as there had been no trouble for months. That was about to change.
Peter Heed
The first thing you need to know about cold water paddling clothing is this: NO COTTON. Cotton clothing has no place in outdoor cold weather activities: it retains absolutely no insulating qualities whatsoever when wet and if it becomes so, will actually serve to disperse your body heat outward away from your body. Remember, just because it is cold does not mean you won’t work up a sweat during active boating. You don’t have to fall in to get wet.
Canoe Racing has been a staple of nearly every canoe racer for the last 12 years. It is now revised with updated photos and advice. You can now 
Peter Heed, a veteran canoe racer and author of 
